1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an apparatus for aiding ambulatory travel of handicapped persons, and more particularly to a radio frequency message apparatus for generating and transmitting pre-recorded messages to aid ambulatory travel of visually handicapped persons.
2. Discussion
Many devices currently exist for providing predetermined audio messages. However, such devices are wholly inadequate for use in aiding ambulatory travel of blind persons and other handicapped individuals in areas such as congested suburban and downtown city shopping and business districts. In such applications, visually impaired persons require periodic feedback to enable them to orientate themselves as to which street, street corner and/or intersection they are at as they travel about. Ideally, then, such a guide system would be operable to provide predetermined messages to a handicapped individual upon command from the individual which would help orientate the individual and establish his/her exact location. For example, a predetermined message that was capable of being supplied to a blind person that he/she is standing at a particular intersection would enable the individual to quickly and easily orientate himself/herself and determine his/her exact location. If such information was available to blind individuals periodically as they came to different streets and/or intersections while walking, the information could easily help enable them to quickly and conveniently navigate even congested metropolitan areas having many streets, intersections and complicated traffic patterns.
To be effective, such a system as described above must also be lightweight, portable, self-powered and easily activated by a visually impaired person. Ideally, such a system would be compact enough and of such a light weight that it could be easily secured to an area such as a waist, a sleeve of a shirt or coat, or carried in a shirt pocket of a blind person to enable quick and convenient placement and removal from clothing, as well as quick and easy activation of the device. Such a system would enable a blind person to obtain information on his/her exact location simply by reaching with one hand to a sleeve, his/her waist area, or a shirt pocket and conveniently activating the system to receive a predetermined message.
It should be appreciated that such a device as described above would also enable messages to be easily delivered to other, non-handicapped ambulatory persons in various other applications. For example, such a system would be ideally suited for zoological park tours. In this application, the system could be used to provide predetermined messages relating to various displays and exhibits within a zoo. The system would obviate the inconvenience and annoyance associated with trying to read a sign associated with the display and/or exhibit where crowds, lighting, etc., impede the individual's view of the sign. A device which could be carried on the person of an individual touring the zoo could easily be activated by the individual whenever it is desirable to listen to a description of a particular display or exhibit.
It would further be advantageous if such a message system as described above incorporated a means by which a handicapped individual, such as a blind person, could initiate transmission of a "panic" message from the system. If police and/or other private groups could monitor for such messages, then police or other such individuals could be apprised of a panic situation encountered by a blind person, such as when a blind person becomes lost or so disoriented that he/she believes it will not be possible to determine his/her relative location within a reasonable period of time. Accordingly, if such a panic message was monitored by police or other individuals, the police or other individuals could use the panic message to "home in" and lead them to the lost, handicapped individual.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a system for aiding ambulatory travel of handicapped and other individuals in metropolitan areas.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a base transceiver unit which may be mounted at, for example, an intersection of a suburban or downtown metropolitan area, which is operable to generate and transmit a predetermined radio frequency message signal containing location-indicating information in response to activation by a handicapped individual of a portable transceiver carried on his/her person, which transmits a message request signal to the base transceiver.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a radio frequency base transceiver which may be selectively disposed at a particular display and/or exhibit, and which operates to transmit information relative to the display/exhibit to a person upon reception of a signal from a portable, radio frequency transceiver carried on the person of the individual, and selectively activated by the individual.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a message system having a plurality of base transceiver units selectively disposed at various intersections of a metropolitan area or exhibits/displays within a zoological park, where each such base transceiver unit has a limited range of transmission to thereby avoid radio frequency interference with other base transceiver units stationed in its vicinity.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a radio frequency message system having a portable transceiver unit adapted to be worn on the person of a visually impaired individual, which includes an audio earphone to enable a message received from a base transceiver unit to be listened to privately and inconspicuously.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a portable radio frequency message system having an electronic compass, which enables a visually impaired individual to orientate himself/herself with respect to North, South, East and Westwardly directions.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a radio frequency message system having a portable, radio frequency transceiver which includes a "panic" button which may be activated by a handicapped person operating the portable radio frequency transceiver, and which operates to transmit a more powerful "panic" message to police or monitoring stations, thereby notifying police or other individuals that a handicapped person is lost, and which will lead police or other individuals to the lost, handicapped individual.